Safe and Sound
by S.E. Mellark
Summary: Omegaverse AU. Growing up and falling in love puts everything into perspective.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: _This was a prompt that got hopelessly out of control. I always wanted an omegaverse story where Arthur wasn't struggling as an omega and was perfectly fine with following Alfred's lead because he effing loves him and is comfortable in his own skin, so I wrote my own, as I'm wont to do. Yup.

I think it's safe to say this is among the fluffiest things I've ever written. Most of my stories have an element of sadness or tragedy, and while there is a little bit of an issue to be addressed in this fic, I was determined to keep it mostly happy. Writing this, I did allude to little problems Arthur and Alfred might have with themselves or life in general, but I didn't get into it for the sake of giving you guys something not utterly depressing for a change.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia and I most likely never will._

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As far as society had advanced, the continued practice of underestimating omegas amused Arthur to no end.

In the history books, the renowned leaders and gods among men were most often said to be alphas, strong and brave, or betas, determined and practical. The stories spoke of territories to secure, mates and children to protect, but had the world forgotten that omegas were very capable in their own right?

Even alpha posturing could not sway the passionate and instinctively suspicious omegas when something didn't smell quite right. Omegas had a tendency to be overly neurotic, and when it came to protecting their offspring, no measure was too great.

Sometimes that protective instinct stretched far beyond the realm of children and family. Joan of Arc was an omega that loved her country so deeply and paid the ultimate price while trying to serve it; and where would the world have been without the findings of Isaac Newton?

Heats and pregnancy did little to hinder an omega that had aspirations and the necessary motivation to realize them. If anything, it only gave omegas a ferocity that, if provoked, could challenge even an alpha's.

That being said, not everyone considered omegas the lesser nature. Arthur had the privilege of living in a time where complete equality was not far off, and his peers recognized the power he wielded as an omega and as a person.

When Arthur ran for All School President at the end of his junior year, he hadn't been all that concerned about what the outcome would be. He'd been on student council since his first year of high school, and his opponent was an alpha female who had the confidence for the campaign but not the same level of interest Arthur had.

He suspected her parents had made her run for the position in the first place, most likely for the scholarship benefits. Arthur didn't consider himself a terribly boastful person, but even back then, he'd known she didn't stand a chance against him.

In another time, she probably would have won simply because she was an alpha and Arthur was not; but Arthur had a few factors working in his favor, not limited to the fact that he was more experienced.

There was, of course, his ability to sound confident even when he was just talking out of his arse. Then one had to consider his mated mark, completed healed at that point, placed on him by an alpha that everyone at that school was aware of, whether they knew him personally or not; and lastly, the scent of a newborn on his skin.

Out in the real world, an omega with other priorities was usually the last to be considered for a position that would require copious amounts of time; but high school was different. Teenagers were easily swayed, and more often than not, it all boiled down to a popularity contest.

A mated omega with an infant was more appealing than an unmated alpha, especially since Arthur had proved himself as a capable omega, going through with the campaign even when his body still ached from giving birth. As shallow as the entire thing was, Arthur had considered it a victory.

His friend Francis had jokingly accused him of using his pregnancy to his advantage, to which Arthur had indignantly replied to the contrary. He'd decided to run even before he started high school, _long _before he was mated and otherwise preoccupied. Everything just happened to work out in his favor, nothing more.

And so the summer passed Arthur by. He didn't give much thought to the approaching school year and focused solely on his family. His days were spent caring for his daughter, keeping her safe and happy, and his nights were consumed by the heat and passion of his alpha.

Alfred spent three days a week at their school's – pitifully American – football field, and if he wasn't running drills with his teammates, he was working. When he returned home, always an hour or so before sundown, Alfred would watch with a smirk as his sweat managed to stir Arthur's disinterested, post-pregnancy hormones without fail.

It was definitely a whirlwind summer, the busiest of Arthur's life, but after spending three months mostly in the company of an infant whose vocabulary consisted of gurgles and cries, the green-eyed omega was looking forward to the socialization school was sure to bring.

On the first day of their senior year, Arthur woke up before Alfred, as per usual. He managed to bathe and dress himself before Whitney started squalling, and he nursed her while simultaneously dragging his reluctant mate from their nest.

They managed to make it into the car five minutes before the deadline Arthur had set the previous night, which was better than he'd been expecting. He was anxious to get to school despite the dull ache in his bones to return to his nest, and while Alfred undoubtedly sensed that, he wisely chose not to comment.

Once there, the two of them dropped Whitney off at the in-school daycare center. Alfred expressed a slight reluctance to leave her in the care of strangers, but Arthur trusted the omega volunteers to efficiently do their jobs and coaxed his mate from the room before first bell.

Arthur had spent most of that morning convincing Alfred – who wasn't above admitting that he needed his omega's reassurance sometimes – that everything would be fine, that Whitney wouldn't believe that they'd abandoned her and the three of them would adjust to a school-year schedule in no time.

In the end, Arthur was unable to believe in his words and was the one left struggling to adapt.

That first day back had been traumatizing, to say the least, and Arthur bolted when his final class let out, leaving Alfred behind to gather their things. Just knowing that his baby was in the opposite wing of the school was enough to keep him from concentrating in his classes. Whitney had barely left his side in the five months since her birth, and Arthur was unsettled by the absence of her warmth and scent, which still clung to his clothing but was barely enough to quell his instincts.

Granted, Whitney was born at the end of the last school year, and she'd stayed with Arthur's mum while he and Alfred were at school. The separation hadn't plagued him as badly back then, but only because he hadn't had as much time to bond with his daughter.

After spending the summer in a house all their own, separate from their families and most of the town, all Arthur wanted was to have his baby in his arms and his mate close by. School got in the way of that, and Arthur came to loathe it.

But Arthur told himself things would get better. Countless of men and women before him had given birth while still in school and adjusted just fine. He would be no different.

He tried to keep the fact that he was struggling from Alfred, but it was virtually impossible. They hadn't known one another for terribly long, all things considered, but Arthur supposed Alfred knew him better than anyone did or ever would. It had been that way since they met.

They'd been forced together in the alphabetized lineup at freshman orientation, but Arthur didn't doubt they would have found one another regardless. The omega truly couldn't find words to express how he'd felt when he caught Alfred's scent for the first time. He remembered that Alfred had been equally stunned, his sky-blue eyes wide with disbelief, and they'd stared at one another until their supervisors were forced to separate them and call their parents.

Children were told about pair bonds while still in primary school, about encountering another person whose scent and overall presence was intoxicating to a distracting, compulsive level. Arthur didn't quite believe in soul mates, but a pair bond was pretty close. So, Arthur had always known it was possible but never expected it to happen to him. His father had two omega mates, Arthur's mother being his second. Arthur had grown up in a blended pack setting, and while he had nothing against alphas taking multiple mates, he knew that lifestyle just wasn't for him.

He quite enjoyed having an alpha all to himself. Arthur had a multitude of siblings, so he was used to receiving only part of a person's attention, but Alfred was focused solely on him. They were exclusive to one another, the only bonded pair in their class, and they were both very smug about it.

It did have its disadvantages, however, not exclusive to the fact that they couldn't hide anything from one another. Alfred had most likely known right away that Arthur would have difficulty coping. He didn't push Arthur to talk about it, but he tried to comfort him all the same.

For the first few weeks after school began, Alfred was constantly surprising Arthur with gifts of some sort. They went off campus for lunch almost everyday, and Alfred offered to call Arthur in sick multiple times so he could just stay home with Whitney on the days when going to school was the last thing the omega wanted to do.

Still, Arthur tried to make the best of it. One more year and he and Alfred would both be free. They would truly be adults then – as if the sleepless nights and split priorities didn't make them adults already – and Arthur would _hopefully_ have more time to devote to his family.

Arthur sighed for the perhaps the fifteenth time in five minutes, sparing a glance at the clock. The school day had ended a little over an hour ago, and his meeting with the other class officers didn't seem any closer to adjourning. Alfred had a game that night, so he was probably off with his teammates somewhere, leaving Arthur with pickup duty.

The daycare didn't close until the last child was picked up, of course, but Arthur didn't want Whitney to be that child.

"You're starting to smell a little sweet." Francis said, leaning over to speak quietly in Arthur's ear. "It's a bit distracting."

"Shut up." Arthur retorted. His chest felt heavy enough that he knew what was going on even without Francis and his bloody alpha senses pointing it out for him. Arthur didn't produce as much milk as female omegas and betas did, but he still felt uncomfortable if Whitney wasn't feeding regularly. His chest was relatively flat, but his scent gave away that he was still nursing. "It's not as if I can help it."

"I can take over." The alpha went on to say. As All School Vice-President, he certainly had the authority to do so. "I believe you're needed elsewhere."

"We're almost finished." Arthur said stubbornly, though he wasn't so sure. Raising his voice, he said, "Alright. Homecoming. We know where it will be held and how much tickets will be. Now we need a theme. After we figure that out, we can go home for the evening."

"I like time period themes." Emma Renard, the Junior Class President, spoke up almost immediately. She was the only other omega in office, and Arthur appreciated having her around, even if the unmated alphas were wont to try and scope her out at the most inopportune times. "When I was a freshman, we picked Victorian England. The dresses were hard to find but _so _gorgeous."

Christian Harris, the president of the sophomore class, drummed his fingers atop his desk. "Anything would be better than last year's homecoming."

"I have to agree." A soft voice said on Arthur's right. Kiku Honda was the president of their senior class and Alfred's childhood friend. He was a person Arthur had come to know quite well in the past four years, and sometimes he had a hard time believing that a beta like Kiku was willing to put up with Alfred's boisterous and somewhat cocky attitude for so long. There had been no pair bond in that friendship to help lessen the irritation. "The committee last year received a lot of complaints."

Arthur took their word for it, having not been there himself. Alfred had tried to coerce him into attending, and Arthur was tempted to agree until he went into heat a few days before homecoming. They'd decided by then that they wanted to go through with the mating process, so Alfred had been all too happy to hole up in Arthur's room with him for a week.

The memory alone was enough to distract Arthur from the matter at hand. He would much rather be properly rogered than attend a boring school function anyhow.

"Down boy." Francis muttered, and Arthur coughed.

"That puts a great deal of weight on us, then." Arthur said, glancing at each of his four companions. "If you want to go with a time period theme, Emma, that's fine with me. Any ideas?"

The girl frowned slightly, twirling a thick strand of her dark blonde hair around her finger as she thought his question over. "Hmm… we could do twenties America?"

"So long as we can have a speakeasy, I am all for it." Francis said.

Christian snorted and Arthur rolled his eyes. "Of course. You can have the pleasure of writing that in the form and turning it into the office. _Without _my signature."

"Pity. Motherhood has made you terribly bland."

"Oh, crap!" Christian exclaimed, bolting upright in his chair. His teachers probably would have wept with joy. "I totally forgot you have to pick up your kid."

"And Alfred's at practice." Kiku added, glancing at the clock just as Arthur had been doing almost the entire hour. "You can leave if you need to, Arthur."

The young omega shook his head, though his thoughts were telling him to take advantage of this opportunity. "We're almost finished. I can spare a few more minutes."

"All in favor of a twenties theme, raise your hand!" Christian said quickly, and Arthur almost started laughing. The young alpha was certainly enthusiastic, and his eagerness to help others and charming demeanor told Arthur that the boy would have no trouble finding a mate when the time came. Not to mention that his Australian drawl would work in his favor. Arthur could say from experience that accents did wonders when courting someone.

The others quickly raised their hands in affirmation, and Arthur shook his head, signing his name at the bottom of the paper in front of him before sliding it over to Francis. "Roaring Twenties it is, then. Write down everything we've discussed today and take it to the office, Francis."

"_Oui, capitaine_!" Francis exclaimed, saluting, and Arthur grabbed his bag and hurried from the room before Emma could start swooning.

The halls were completely vacant, for which Arthur was thankful. Omegas were a force to be reckoned with, even without the added factor of a child. As high-strung as he felt, Arthur didn't want to think about what would happen if someone were to get in his way.

Most of the children were separated into gender and nature groups depending on their age for safety purposes, so when Arthur entered the daycare facility, he instinctively looked toward the area normally sectioned off for omega females under the age of six months.

Every crib and bouncer was empty, but a familiar scent hit Arthur before panic had a chance to settle in, and he immediately relaxed. Turning to face the rest of the room, Arthur found Alfred settled in the middle of a sofa near the secondary exit, Whitney in his arms.

His mate was patting their daughter's back and watching the omega volunteers as they read stories to the remaining children with a disinterested look on his face. Arthur smiled slightly, absolutely certain that Alfred was paying more attention to whatever story was being read than perhaps the children themselves. Alfred would most likely deny it if Arthur suggested as much, but the fact that he hadn't noticed Arthur's presence by now was telling enough.

It took a few moments, but Alfred finally zoned back in and turned to look at Arthur as he approached. "Hey." He said quietly, flashing Arthur a brilliant smile as he continued to rub Whitney's back.

"Hi." Arthur replied, sparing a wave at one of the volunteers as she looked up at the sound of their voices. She smiled at him before returning her attention to the kids. "Is she asleep?"

"I don't know what she's doing." Alfred chuckled, peering down at Whitney, tucked quietly in his arms. "She just kinda squirms and makes noises every now and then."

"I thought you would be at pre-game warm-up with your teammates?"

"Well, Kiku said you guys had a meeting after school. I figured it would run late, so Coach let me leave to pick up Whitney."

Quirking an eyebrow, Arthur said, "Did he now?"

Arthur had nothing personal against Alfred's coach, but if it weren't for him, Arthur and Alfred would have been mated sooner than their junior year. Saying that they had experienced a whirlwind romance was an understatement, but that was to be said between two people whose desire to be together was nearly overwhelming.

They were both prepared to commit to one another almost from the get-go. It had only been a matter of convincing their parents that they were ready. Alfred's parents were easier to sway than Arthur's, mostly because Arthur's mum was an overly anxious omega that wanted to keep her only surviving child close at all times.

Once she was convinced, it was just a waiting game. The autumn after Arthur turned sixteen, he went into heat the same day Alfred was set to leave for an American football tournament in another city. If it hadn't been the first time in twenty years that their high school had made it to the playoffs, perhaps Alfred would have been allowed to stay behind; but his coach wasn't the most understanding of people.

Arthur wouldn't have been so upset by it if the team had actually needed Alfred. At that point, they were only sophomores, and while Alfred had been tall, he wasn't bulky like the juniors and seniors. He and the other sophomores and freshmen had really only gone to support the team.

It had been utterly ridiculous, but they both handled it fairly well, in Arthur's opinion. After all, there would be other heats, never mind that Arthur rather enjoyed his attempt to talk to Alfred on the phone at least once a day. Attempt being the key word, since Arthur had spent most of their conversations moaning obscenely, wanting to see how flustered he could make Alfred before the alpha was forced to say goodbye.

"Yup. I have to show up earlier than I normally would to go through plays on my own, but that's fine." Alfred replied, perhaps sharing Arthur's thoughts. "I'm the only outgoing senior with a kid. I think he understands that I have more important priorities now."

Arthur and Alfred were not shy people. Their repertoire of things to say to make one another hot under the collar was proof enough of that, but Alfred's words and adorable little grin were enough to make Arthur's heart flutter.

"I'm surprised they let you stay here to wait for me." Arthur said, suddenly the conversationalist. "At this time of day, the goal is to get everyone out."

"Nah, they like having me around."

"You're sure about that?"

"Well, not me exclusively." Alfred amended, leaning away from Whitney's flailing hand as she tried to make a grab for his glasses. She had an affinity for new things, and Alfred wore his glasses so irregularly that she probably wasn't used to them yet. "Artificial alpha scent just doesn't keep the youngins in line like a real one does. You shoulda seen those boys when I came in. I think they were having a play dominance fight or something."

Come to think of it, none of the other children had made so much as a peep since Arthur arrived. Alfred wasn't their sire, but his presence alone was probably enough to settle any rowdy behavior. Arthur didn't doubt that the omega volunteers had their hands full with children that hadn't imprinted on them. Alfred's extended stay had probably been a blessing in disguise.

"My baby, please." Arthur said, having beat around the bush long enough.

Alfred's lips twitched into a smirk, maneuvering Whitney in his hold until Arthur could see her baby-blue eyes peering dazedly around the room. She really was a carbon copy of Alfred, her blonde hair just a shade lighter than his, and Arthur knew his mate was tickled pink by it.

When they met, Alfred had explained in no uncertain terms that he'd always wanted children, a pack of his own to care for. Arthur had been slightly uncertain at first, a sheltered omega intimidated by the alpha that he was hopelessly in love with even after so little time, but now Arthur was glad he'd been able to give Alfred what he'd been dreaming of since he was a boy.

"Hello, darling." Arthur cooed when Whitney's eyes settled on him. She jerked in Alfred's arms, kicking her legs and grinning a toothless smile that eerily mirrored her father's. Oh, how Arthur adored her. He stooped over to pluck her from Alfred's arms, holding her close as he'd been yearning to do since dropping her off just that morning. "Yes, I know, I missed you, too."

She burrowed into Arthur, her warm cherub face nuzzling into the exposed skin of his neck, where his mark lay. A jolt shot down Arthur's spine, but the surge of affection he felt for his daughter overshadowed it.

All the tension that had built up in Arthur's body throughout the day began to melt away, and he took up where Alfred left off, rubbing her back to assure her that he was there. He turned back to his mate to tell him to grab Whitney's diaper bag so they could leave, only to find that Alfred was staring at him far too intently to be casual.

"May I help you?" Arthur asked, laughing despite himself.

"I can't wait until you're pregnant again." Alfred breathed, perhaps too loudly by the way the woman reading the story to the children faltered slightly before starting up again.

Arthur could feel the beginnings of an embarrassed blush creeping up his neck. "Is one drooling infant not enough for you?"

"Guess not." Alfred said with a slight shrug, bending over to pick up the diaper bag at his feet before standing up with a tired grunt. "I think I just like watching you be a mom, though. You're good at it."

Arthur blinked up at his mate. He knew that he enjoyed being a parent, but he'd never stopped to wonder if it suited him. His mum had disapproved of his decision to continue going to school after Whitney was born, and he'd wondered if she was right when Whitney struggled to imprint on him what with all the time he spent away from her.

That's why summer vacation had been so important, why Arthur insisted they find a place where it could be just the three of them for a time. Thankfully Alfred's parents owned a lake house that they barely used, and they gave them permission to use it for as long as they needed. It took a lot of work to make it habitable, and a lot more to meet Arthur's standards, but it was home.

He took to sitting out on the deck with Whitney while the sun set over the horizon, laughing as she ogled at fireflies. They would go down to the modestly sized beach while Alfred was gone and play in the sand, though Whitney couldn't do much on her own and just took sparse handfuls to throw into the wind or Arthur's face.

Usually summer was the bane of Arthur's existence. He'd never enjoyed having an excess amount of time on his hands; but with Alfred and Whitney, the time had flown by. Arthur still missed it, even three months into the school year.

His father's first omega mate once told Arthur that having children put the world into perspective. Arthur was now starting to see that he was right.

"The gears are a turnin'." Alfred cocked his head slightly, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Yes and no. But – " Arthur jerked his head toward the small circle of children. "Can we not talk about it here?"

Alfred nodded curtly, standing just a bit taller, the expression on his face painting a picture as to what lengths he would go if something, some_one_, was aggravating his mate. He probably wasn't even aware he was doing it, and Arthur would have stopped to marvel at how endearing the alpha was if he weren't trying to decide how to put his thoughts into words.

They voiced a brief farewell to the women watching over the remaining children, and Arthur placed a kiss to the top of Whitney's downy head as they left the room. Once out in the hall, Arthur swung around to face Alfred. They stared at one another for some time, Arthur suddenly nervous and Alfred probably beside himself with his instincts to protect.

"I decided that I'm going to just stay home after we graduate."

Alfred blinked. "You mean stay home and be with Whit?"

Arthur inclined his head, groaning with slight frustration. "I think I hear her crying in all my classes, I'm always worried that someone's going to take her away or hurt her when we aren't there, and my nipples fucking _hurt_, Alfred!"

"I… don't really know what to say about that last one."

"I thought I could get used to not being able to keep an eye on her, but I can't. It's literally impossible."

"_Literally, _huh?" Alfred whistled, and Arthur threw him a warning glare. "Sorry, sorry. But I thought you didn't want having kids to force you to give up your dreams? You're not a homebody, Artie. I just don't want you to do anything you'll regret further down the road."

Alfred sounded genuinely worried about the possibility, though Whitney made a quiet grunting sound before Arthur could say anything, momentarily distracting him. She was starting to squirm in his hold, rooting at his chest, and the omega could only assume that she was getting hungry enough to be fussy about it.

"I'm not giving up on anything." Arthur assured. "I still plan on finishing high school, of course. After that, I'll think about taking online classes. I just want to be available to Whitney, to any children we have, really, while they're growing up. After they're grown, I'll think of something, but right now, I can't focus on anything else."

"Arthur." Alfred lamented, and Arthur realized how potent his own distress had become. Whitney whined, almost as if in sympathy. "You know you aren't a bad parent, right?" Arthur stayed silent. "Is that what this is about? Sweetheart, we're still in high school. We've got a lot to juggle right now, but I think you're doing a kick ass job."

"I'm your mate, of course you would think that." Arthur grumbled. "The same week we went back to school, I couldn't even get Whitney to latch onto me. She was more used to my mother and the baby bottles."

Alfred huffed, hefting the strap of the diaper bag higher up his shoulder. "Okay, sure, but when she cries at night, and I go to get her, she keeps screaming her head off until you come in. Whit totally loves you. Not as much as I do, of course, but still."

"And I suppose you have a copyright on loving me?" Arthur replied, more charmed than he'd like to admit. "I'm just… discouraged. I bit off more than I can chew this school year thinking that I'd be able to balance it all. Obviously, it's not as easy as I thought it would be."

"Nothing ever is." Alfred sympathized. "But, hey, I'm behind you, whatever you decide you wanna do." The alpha took a step forward, and Arthur breathed out a sigh as Alfred cradled his face with one of his hands. Alfred had a naturally high body temperature, though Arthur had difficulty attributing it to the fact that he was an alpha. Everything about Alfred's being and personality was just invitingly warm. "Tell ya what. After my game tonight, we'll go home and relax. And over the weekend, it'll just be the three of us. We'll do whatever you want."

"Who says I want to go to your game?" Arthur snorted even as Alfred swept his thumb over the skin just below Arthur's right eye. "I'd be busy taking care of Whitney anyhow."

"Aw, come on, you have to! I play better when I know you're watching me."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt my presence is imperative to the quality of your performance." Glancing down at Whitney, he went on to say, "Do you want to go to Daddy's game, love?" The tiny omega whined unhappily, head propped up on Arthur's shoulder. "See, she doesn't want to go either."

"Whatever. She's doing that because she's hungry." Alfred said blandly, sliding his hand down to the back of Arthur's neck and pulling him forward, bending over slightly to place a gentle kiss to his hairline before releasing him completely. "And stop being cute, it's distracting. _Please, _will you come?"

"I'll go, you big baby." Arthur laughed. "We have to go home and get Whitney's coat though. It's always colder than a witch's tit down by the field at night."

Alfred snorted out a laugh. "Sure thing. I have to get my contacts anyway."

"You forgot them again? _Jesus_, you'd starve if I didn't remind you to eat."

"Let's not go that far. But I think it's safe to say that I'd crash and burn without you." Alfred's face took on a contemplative look, and Arthur wondered what his mate was thinking. "Man. I can't imagine what my life would be like if we hadn't met."

"I'd assume it would be unimaginably dull." Arthur said flippantly, and Alfred smiled ruefully. "I for one would still be living at home just to give my mum peace of mind. I'd probably still be a virgin, too."

"What a damn shame that would be. Bedtime with you is the highlight of my day."

Ignoring the childish sentiment behind the word "bedtime" and instead choosing to focus on the not so innocent implications behind it, Arthur kept his expression completely neutral and pretended to fuss with Whitney as he said, "I have an idea."

Alfred sighed, transferring the diaper bag onto his left arm so he could use his right to usher Arthur down the hall and toward the parking lot. Arthur went along without opposition, amused by his mate's obvious lack of enthusiasm. That would certainly change. "This could either be really good or really bad."

"Oh, come on, have a little faith in me! If you win the game tonight, I'll do whatever you want in bed tonight as congratulations."

Alfred almost tripped over his feet as he walked, and Whitney watched with fascination as he righted himself. "What happened to not talking about sex in front of the baby?"

"Hey, my mum wanted me with her at all times while she was in heat because it made her feel safe. Imagine all that I've been exposed to. I think I turned out just fine." Arthur threw Alfred a smile that he hoped was borderline devious, and Alfred's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "Don't deny that you're interested, I can smell it on you. Wouldn't you want me to act like a perfect omega for you?"

"You're already a perfect omega." Alfred said matter-of-factly, reaching up to scratch at his own neck. "That subservient bullshit is for the birds."

Arthur hummed, running a finger across one of Whitney's ruddy cheeks. "Okay. But unless I'm in heat, I won't mindlessly open up for you."

"Oh my God."

"You're always so careful. Don't you just want to give in to your instincts for a night?"

"I don't want to scare you." Alfred muttered. "You've seen what my mom is like, and she taught me everything I know about being an alpha. It's a little much."

Arthur's lips pulled into a slight frown. "Are you telling me that you haven't let yourself go completely since we've been together? Then what the hell was that during my last heat?"

"That, sweetheart, was me holding back."

"Bloody hell." Arthur breathed, eyeing his alpha as a child would an unwrapped Christmas present. How Alfred had managed to keep his head while in the presence of a fertile omega was beyond Arthur. Francis would never believe it. "Well, that's unacceptable. If you lose the game, we're still doing this. It'll be consolation in that case."

"Well, I'm decently excited now." Alfred laughed, and Arthur noted the slight bounce in his mate's step with some satisfaction. "Even if I fuck up, I'm still getting laid."

Arthur smiled to himself, shielding Whitney's eyes from the sun as they exited the school building. Parenting was difficult, yes, but his ability to make Alfred happy was something Arthur had never doubted; and it struck him how much he wanted that, to always make his mate smile and do whatever he could to ensure that Alfred had a happy life.

Lord knows the man deserved it. After all, Arthur did know what Alfred's mum was like, and the alpha Arthur had met almost four years ago was a far cry from the sappy, joke-cracking, self-aware buffoon Alfred was today. He'd come so far. They both had.

Arthur opened the door to the backseat once they reached the car, sliding in and placing Whitney in her car seat. Her eyes were starting to droop, telling the omega that his daughter wasn't as hungry as he and Alfred had thought. Arthur buckled Whitney in carefully as Alfred opened up the opposite door and placed the diaper bag on the floor.

"Of course she would choose sleep over food." The alpha chuckled. "She's just like you."

Arthur stared at Whitney, her pink onesie that he was just now realizing had a spot of dried throw-up on the front, and then glanced back at Alfred. His eyes were trained on Whitney, soft and adoring, and the way he was half leaning into the car did not look comfortable in any way, shape, or form; and yet he lingered.

"Hey." Arthur said, and Alfred glanced up at him. "Have I told you today that I love you?"

"Well, you didn't say it outright, but I heard it when you were nagging at me this morning to hurry up or we'd be late for school." Arthur had to bite his tongue to keep from smiling. "And again when I said I had a game tonight and you told me not to concuss myself. We didn't see each other much today, otherwise you probably would've said it more."

"Just say yes like a normal person." Arthur said, voice hushed, and he leaned over Whitney's car seat to pull Alfred forward and kiss him solidly on the mouth. "No one likes a showoff."

"You do." Hands gripped at either side of Arthur's face when he tried to pull away, guiding him back to his alpha's insistent lips and tongue. Arthur had half a mind to be concerned that they were making out in front of their infant daughter, but he reasoned that Whitney was half-asleep and wouldn't know what was happening anyway. The fact remained that their positions weren't comfortable, however, and Alfred pulled away much too soon. "I love you, too, by the way. In case you were wondering."

"I wasn't." Arthur replied, climbing out of the backseat and closing the door as gently as he could behind him. He knew exactly what Alfred had been talking about. They didn't express their affections through words so much as actions and scent. In a way, they never _stopped _saying that they loved one another.

And Arthur was looking forward to later that night so he could say it again and again, however many times it took for Alfred to break and let Arthur take care of him, allow him to embrace the entirety of his instincts as an alpha. It was likely they would be interrupted, Whitney wanting one thing or another, and Arthur would end up staying up late or waking early, but he didn't mind. His alpha was absolutely right. Parenting did suit him, and he was as good an omega as Alfred needed.

Shamefully, Arthur ended up underestimating his own desire as an omega to nurture. Alfred and Whitney had opened his eyes to that fact, given him perspective, and Arthur honestly couldn't wait to see what else his family would teach him in the years to come.

* * *

_A.N._ May or may not come back to this in the future. Just gonna leave it as is for now.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: _I'm kinda ashamed that I came back to this so quickly, what with all the other stories I have to finish/start. But I didn't anticipate the response I got for this one, so it motivated me to continue with it sooner than I'd planned. I think I just like writing fluff for a change... or as close to fluff as I can get.

And I changed the summary since it's not just the first chapter anymore. The old one hardly covered this universe.

Enjoy it while it lasts, kiddos!

* * *

Alfred grew up in a traditional pack environment, the kind that modern society no longer condoned. Of course, growing up, Alfred hadn't realized that not all families were like his.

The head alpha, his mom, ran the household and micromanaged everything her family did while the omega, his dad, stayed home to intimately raise their children. Alfred came first, and his brother Matthew – an omega like their dad – was born five years later. They lived in routine and order, and everything felt normal.

Alfred wouldn't say his childhood was horrible. He enjoyed most of it, even if his mom pushed him to be as strict and domineering alpha as she was. He was made to play every sport, master every subject in school, and while he spent countless afternoons in his room working on homework or studying for a test, it really did benefit him in the long run.

His mom taught him the logistics of the world and where alphas, betas, and omegas fell on the power scale. Her lessons about all three natures were generic at best – alphas lead, betas balance, and omegas follow. She taught him not to look down on the other natures, but to recognize that biology and proper grooming made him superior.

They would practice on Matthew. Alfred always hated making his brother cry, but when they were both young and impressionable, it only made sense to listen when his alpha mother told him to insist that he get the bathroom first in the morning or withhold a toy that Alfred felt he needed more than his omega brother.

Needless to say, Alfred had grown up with a sense of entitlement. He was disciplined, yes, but also a total brat, if one adjective could coexist with the other.

In school, he was a league ahead of the other kids, even his fellow alphas. He aced his classes, led his teams in sporting activities, and intimidated even the most experienced of teachers. When Matthew started attending school, Alfred's presence was even more threatening when defending his brother's honor against young alphas that didn't know how to restrain themselves around unmated omegas as Alfred did.

Kiku was his only friend, a beta that didn't feel threatened or intimidated by Alfred like other alphas and omegas were. His mom hadn't approved in the beginning since Kiku didn't hesitate when it came to battering Alfred's excessive ego, but Alfred hadn't minded a bit. Back then, anyone who was willing to challenge him was interesting enough to keep around.

Despite his upbringing, Alfred never felt right when asserting his dominance over others. As a kid, most people found it cute, but as he grew, the responses he received changed. His teachers called it bullying, but they only called the house to report it as such during the day when his mom wasn't home.

The frequent scoldings he received from his dad confused Alfred to no end, especially since he was only doing as his mom had instructed. He hadn't meant to cause trouble, and he wasn't sure why he was getting yelled at for just being himself.

Eventually, it got to a point where Alfred didn't have to assert his dominance. Everyone at school knew who he was and certainly knew better than to get in his way. Alfred just breezed through school, attended his classes and went home to do his homework every day before the cycle started over again.

Alfred didn't really care. Kiku described that time in Alfred's life as his "Stone-Cold Period," and the alpha just stuck to everything his mom had taught him and went about his life.

He hadn't expected to make a fresh start in high school, even if he'd gone to a public school like he'd initially wanted to, instead of the private school most of his classmates would be attending. His mom had refused to let him go anywhere else, though. It had the best facilities in the state, from the sports programs to the childcare services, which his mom insisted he would need during his time in high school.

Alfred had bitterly disagreed. Any sane omega wouldn't come within fifty feet of him, and his mom would have a cow if he ended up mating a beta or even another alpha. It didn't matter how badly he wanted to get out from under his mother and have a family of his own. His overall presence was just a little too strong for most people.

Being the epitome of alpha really wasn't all it was cracked up to be, no matter what his mom said.

Then he met Arthur Kirkland. _Everything_ changed after that. Alfred had initially been drawn in by the omega's scent, but every little thing about him was enough to derail every thought in Alfred's head.

Aside from the fact that he was gorgeous – enormous, family heirloom-esque eyebrows and all – Arthur was… a _wonderful _person. It didn't take Alfred long to realize that. Despite being overly cautious, Arthur was idealistic and brave. He didn't take shit from anybody, but he was pleasant to be around if one didn't antagonize him.

From his scent alone, Alfred learned all of that about Arthur and so much more, like the fact that the omega had so much love to give, though Alfred could have figured that out just by talking to him.

At first, Alfred had been horrified that Arthur was his pair bond. He'd learned by then that his mom was an alpha usually depicted as the villain in animated movies and children's books, and Alfred was her protégé. Matthew always said they were eerily alike, and Alfred knew better than to deny it.

He didn't want Arthur to end up like Alfred's own father, made to stay at home and do nothing but clean and take care of the kids just because he was an omega. He knew his parents loved each other and were comfortable with their lifestyle, but Alfred himself just couldn't do it, and if that made him a weak alpha, then so be it.

It was a little odd at first. Alfred wasn't used to censoring himself and said whatever came to mind when around Arthur. Add that to the fact that Arthur's scent made him practically incoherent, and it was no wonder that Alfred said some pretty stupid shit.

Alfred had to relearn himself as he learned Arthur, remembered how to put being an alpha second to just being a person. He liked to think he helped Arthur just as much as Arthur had helped him.

The omega was a far cry from the submissive man who was Alfred's father, but after years of being pushed around by his older brothers and kept under the protective surveillance of his mother, Arthur was pretty passive on a normal day.

Alfred sought to change that, and he made sure to do the exact opposite of what his mom always taught him when it came to courting an omega. He encouraged Arthur to make his own decisions without consulting the alpha first – not that Arthur really needed help in that department – and never tried to establish who the leader was of the two of them.

Everything between them was a give and take. However, he did understand that each nature had their quirks, and as an omega, Arthur would become unsettled if Alfred didn't act like an alpha at least part of the time. It took a lot of soul-searching on Alfred's part, but he found a balance that put Arthur at ease and didn't make Alfred feel like he was his mother. It was perfectly healthy, and Alfred was content with everything.

It paid off in more ways than one. Apparently watching how he interacted with Arthur changed more than a few people's opinions about him, and for the first time since he was a small boy, Alfred found it was easy to make small talk and branch out from his tight-nit friendship with Kiku. Being with Arthur had made Alfred realize that he could actually be more than just a strong alpha.

He could be lax and still make his omega feel safe and happy, though it did wonders for Alfred's nerves to know that, if the need arose, he could be just as frightening an alpha as his mom.

"Alfred, snap out of it. You're going to drown our daughter."

Alfred blinked, returning to the present when he heard his mate's voice. With a startled grunt, he lifted Whitney out of the bathtub, looking her over for any signs of serious water log. She seemed fine to him, her big, blue eyes staring at him happily, kicking her legs in the air as she giggled.

"What are you talking about? She's fine." Alfred chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at Arthur.

The omega was perched on the counter by the sink, towel drying his hair as he watched Alfred with a smirk on his face. He was wearing Alfred's "I have an ego" shirt and a pair of boxers – also Alfred's. The shirt was a commemorative gift that Arthur had gotten Alfred on his seventeenth birthday, mostly as a joke.

It didn't bother Alfred when Arthur wore his clothes, which he was wont to do whenever they were home. He understood that it was a safety thing, and it was far from unpleasant when his mate was saturated with Alfred's scent.

Alfred breathed in deeply, hoping Arthur wouldn't notice yet not caring if he did. His mate's scent was always breathtakingly intoxicating whenever he just got out of the shower. Alfred liked to tell him that just to watch his cheeks flush red with embarrassment.

"Well, you can never be too careful. We're not even supposed to bathe her in the bathtub." Arthur retorted, throwing the towel to the ground and shaking his head a few times. "Anyway, what were you thinking about?"

"Everything, I guess." Alfred replied, grinning up at Whitney as he stood, wrapping her up in a fresh towel. She laughed in that soft, baby way and buried her face in his shoulder, the water from her hair seeping into the fabric of his shirt.

At six months of age, Whitney was by far the most energetic and happy baby he'd ever seen. No matter his status as the milk-giver, Arthur liked to say that Whitney was going to be a daddy's girl when she grew up, and as time went on, Alfred was starting to see why he thought so.

Turning around to face Arthur, Alfred continued, "You, my mom, Kiku, this beautiful girl that I have the pleasure of calling my daughter."

Whitney lifted her head off Alfred's shoulder and beamed at him, as if she truly understood that he was talking about her.

"Sap." Arthur murmured, though he was smiling, reaching out to take Whitney from Alfred when the alpha came close enough. "I'm sure your teammates would love to hear you talk like that."

"Oh, believe me, they've had to listen to me before." Alfred assured, acutely watching Arthur's every move as he slid off the sink and exited the bathroom. Alfred trailed behind, following Arthur to Whitney's nursery. "I don't shut up about you or Whitney. Ever. I'm surprised Gilbert hasn't ratted me out already."

"Gilbert knows better than to engage me in conversation." Arthur said dryly, easing Whitney down onto the changing table while Alfred went in search of a clean diaper. "I wouldn't be surprised if he avoids just saying my name."

Alfred laughed, handing the diaper off to Arthur before working the towel out from underneath Whitney's squirming body. "He didn't mean to put that note in your locker, Artie. He thought it was Elizabeta's."

"It's the principle of the thing." Arthur threw Alfred an unimpressed look while securing the diaper on Whitney. He really was a pro at multitasking by now, but it still managed to awe Alfred. "It happened months ago, and I still feel violated. There are certain things that cannot be unread, Alfred."

"Look, we've established that Gil is a horny idiot."

"Not to mention illiterate." Whitney let out an especially loud giggle, waving her hands in the air for whatever reason. Alfred really didn't understand babies or what went on in their heads, if anything. All he knew was that they were hopelessly adorable. Usually. "See, she knows that and she can't even sit up on her own."

"We're gettin' there, though." Alfred said brightly, speaking to Whitney. She stared up at him, suddenly silent and still. When others were talking around her, it was impossible to get her to stay quiet; but whenever anyone aside from Arthur talked to and looked at her directly, she was content to sit and listen with the most awe-struck expression on her face, even if she couldn't understand what was being said. "Next thing you know, she'll be telling us she hates us and slamming doors in our faces."

Arthur groaned, reaching for the light blue onesie he'd set out before they gave Whitney her bath. "Let's get her walking first before we discuss the rebellious teenager phase."

Alfred helped Arthur maneuver their daughter into her clothes before speaking again. "Do you think we'll have problems with her? In the future?"

"Doubtful." Arthur replied, and Whitney yawned against his chest. Alfred moved to turn off the light as his mate went to place Whitney down in her crib. "She's an angel baby."

"Huh?"

"I read it in a book. But I don't think we'll have problems with her. Not until puberty starts and alpha children will be lining up to posture for her, anyway."

Alfred frowned as he walked up behind Arthur, thankful that it was dark and his mate's eyes most likely hadn't adjusted to the gloom yet. He didn't want to picture the drowsy baby before him grown up and surrounded by hormonal teenage males, especially not if they were anything like he was. "She's not allowed to date until she's thirty."

Arthur snorted softly, lowering Whitney down into her crib. "Don't be thick. My mother said the exact same thing and look at me now."

Alfred grinned, hands lightly braced against the railing of Whitney's crib. "I thought you like it when I'm thick?"

"Your dick, not your head."

"Choose your words carefully, sweetheart, that's basically the same thing."

Arthur sighed, dropping his head back and staring at the ceiling in what Alfred assumed to be a "Why me?" gesture. Alfred took the opportunity to grab his mate's hand and lead him from the room.

"That joke was tasteless, and you are a child." Arthur said pointedly once the door to Whitney's nursery was safely shut.

"You're the one who said 'dick' in front of the baby!"

"Like she can understand." Arthur retorted, reaching up to take a fist full of Alfred's shirt. The alpha only wondered what it could mean for a split second before Arthur leaned forward to drop his head down against Alfred's chest, groaning slightly. "Ugh, I'm exhausted."

Alfred took his word for it. He couldn't smell any sickness on the omega, so there was no reason why he shouldn't. Alfred wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders as he felt Arthur's sliding up his back. "I'm not surprised. You had a long day."

They were three days into winter break, and Alfred had hoped Arthur would be able to relax with Whitney while he was at work. His mate's family, on the other hand, had other ideas. If Arthur wasn't baby-sitting his younger brother Peter, he was taking care of his older brother Owen's kids while Owen and his mate were otherwise preoccupied.

Sometimes Alfred didn't get Arthur's family. When an omega went into heat, normally the parents of either person in the pair would take care of whatever children they had. When Alfred's dad went into heat, he and Matthew had to go stay with their mom's parents for a week. In the Kirkland family, it would seem logical to have Arthur's mom and his dad's other omega mate watch Owen's kids since there would be more people around to help out.

But nope. One day the kids were with Arthur's parents and the other they were at the house with Arthur and Whitney while Alfred was at work. On those days, Alfred usually came home to find his house in disarray and his mate out of sorts. Arthur didn't mind his nephews all that much, but the boys were ten and five, both alphas. It was a wonder nothing had been set on fire yet.

"Those kids are absolute terrors when Owen isn't around." Arthur grumbled, nuzzling further into Alfred. "They're nothing like our little girl."

"Well, Whit's an omega. She's not going to be as rambunctious as Ben and Sammy. I think we got off easy having an omega _and _a girl as our first kid." Alfred had thought about that a lot, actually, how relieved he'd been when Whitney was born and they were told she was an omega. Alfred wanted to learn how to be a parent first before having to teach his own offspring how to be an alpha, something Alfred himself was still trying to figure out.

"Distract me, please. I'm five seconds away from complete and utter hysteria."

Alfred thought it over, pressing his mouth to Arthur's blond bangs in an extra effort to soothe. "What do you want to do for Christmas?"

"I said _distract me. _Christmas only brings about a whole other set of worries."

"How come? Christmas is awesome! And it'll be Whitney's first."

Arthur sighed, tracing nonsense patterns into Alfred's back with his fingertips. "Exactly. Mum wants us to come over, and I can't imagine being cramped into that house with my brothers and their families. Fuck that."

Alfred furrowed his brow. For some reason, spending Christmas with his family this year didn't sound all that appealing either. He'd been there and done that, seventeen years in a row, and he was ready for something different. "I think we can get away with holing up out here for the holidays. We don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to."

"Your mother is right. You let me get away with far too much."

"That's what I'm here for." Alfred declared, tightening his hold on Arthur immensely in what was to be a final squeeze. Arthur let out a slightly indignant grunt, completely and utterly trapped, and Alfred had to fight away a totally un-alpha-like giggle. "As much as I love hugging it out with you in the hall, you need to get into bed before you fall asleep on your feet."

"I've had more uncomfortable beds." Arthur murmured, falling still, and Alfred wondered if he was going to have to carry his mate down the hallway to their bedroom. Arthur loved to cuddle more than any person Alfred had ever met, and it was going to be difficult to get him to move if he was as tired as he sounded. "I can hear your heartbeat like this, at least."

Alfred smiled, for he could feel Arthur's, throbbing against his chest. He remembered how during Arthur's pregnancy, they would sit in bed and try to distinguish Arthur's heartbeat from Whitney's. Arthur was better at it than Alfred, who would lay with his ear pressed to his mate's stomach for as long as he could get away with it.

More often than not, he fell asleep to the feel of Arthur's fingers running through his hair, consistently lulled under by the combined heartbeats, indistinguishable from each other, of the two people who meant more to Alfred than anything in the entire world.

"Come on, up you go." Arthur took his cue and removed his arms from around Alfred's back to grip at his shoulders, jumping up into the alpha when strong hands gripped at his thighs. Arthur seemed to melt into him as Alfred wrapped one arm around his shoulders again, the other braced under his ass to help the omega balance himself.

It didn't happen often, but there were days when Arthur was more partial to being carried around, especially when he was exhausted. Alfred took advantage of it wholeheartedly. Arthur probably thought he got off on being strong enough to tote a full-grown man around with ease, and he would be absolutely right.

"You're like a fucking teddy bear." Alfred chuckled, and Arthur squeezed his legs around Alfred's hips.

"'Arthur' does mean bear, I think." The omega announced. "Or king, I forget which. Either way, you best do as I say or the consequences will be immense."

"And what exactly do you want me to do?"

"What do you think I want you to do?" Was it just Alfred's imagination, or was Arthur licking his neck? The blue-eyed alpha had a sneaking suspicion that his mate wasn't as tired as he'd previously claimed. "Use your head, darling."

Alfred would have laughed if he weren't inexplicably aroused and astounded. He was so enamored with Arthur that it was ridiculous and the slightest bit embarrassing; but it was everything Alfred had ever wanted in life, and he got it by disobeying everything his mom had taught him growing up.

Arthur once told Alfred that meeting him had made Arthur a better and stronger person.

The exact same could be said for Alfred's sentiments about Arthur.

* * *

_A.N._ Just a warning. I love UsUk more than life itself, and I _will _be portraying these two as the fucking dorks that they are with this. _Oh_, the things I have up my sleeve.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: _I got bored, so I wrote this. It's so relaxing, which is new, since most of my stories stress me out with the angst levels.

* * *

"Arthur Kirkland, please report to the Daycare Center."

Arthur was in the middle of a grueling calculus lesson when the announcement came over the intercom, and it took him a few seconds to process that if he was being summoned to the daycare, something was wrong with Whitney.

He kept telling himself not to panic as he set his calculator down and stood, ignoring the dozens of eyes that he could feel tracking his every move. Normally one had to fill out a slip if he left the classroom, even if it was an excused leave of absence, but Arthur's teacher didn't say a word as he passed her desk, only shot him an encouraging glance.

Once out in the hall, Arthur calmed down a little as he walked. If something was seriously wrong, they would have called for Alfred as well. Arthur could only imagine how his mate must be feeling after that announcement, unable to leave his own classroom to see what was wrong. The omega didn't doubt that he could handle this on his own, but if something had happened to Whitney because of negligence on the part of the volunteers, Arthur would need his alpha to hold him back.

One of the volunteers was waiting for Arthur when he walked in, a red-faced, wailing Whitney braced against her hip. Her name was Sofia Braginsky, and Arthur had become well acquainted with her and her sister Natalya since the start of the school year. Sofia was gentler with the children whereas Natalya offered the firm hand that some of them desperately needed.

Whitney was opening her mouth wide for what was sure to be an ear-splitting screech when she noticed Arthur hurrying over, and she cut herself off with a desperate grunt, waving a fist through the air and almost whacking Sofia in the face. "Mama!"

"I'm so sorry to have to call you down here." Sofia said earnestly when Arthur shot her a confused look. "I didn't know how else to calm her down."

"It's fine. This got me out of a boring calculus lesson." Arthur replied, taking his daughter from the other omega. She continued to whine unhappily, and her features were twisted as if she'd tasted something foul. "Did something happen?"

"Not that I know of." Sofia crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her considerable breasts up and together. Arthur might have cared if he wasn't happily mated and a gentleman to boot; but then, what did it say about him if he was noticing in the first place? "She woke up from her nap and just started crying. She kept saying 'Mama,' so my sister went down to the office to have them send for you."

"It's the only word she knows." Arthur explained. In Whitney's mind, it could mean she was hungry, tired, or upset, but it all came back to Arthur in the end. He was the solution to almost all of Whitney's infantile problems, unless it came to a strange need for ridiculous noises and facial expressions. That was more Alfred's area. "She's still teething, though. I bet that's why she's being fussy."

Arthur reached up to tug Whitney's hand from her mouth, shaking his head mirthfully when she leaned forward in an attempt to follow after it. As he'd suspected, the skin on her fingers was wrinkly, and the area around her mouth was even redder and more irritated than it'd been that morning when he saw her last.

He'd called his mother to ask about it, and she told him Whitney probably had drool rash. She would lie in blankets soaked with her own spit as she slept and woke up in the morning with irritated skin. It wasn't uncommon, though there wasn't much to be done until the teething period ended aside from alleviating some of Whitney's discomfort as best they could.

"I wondered if that was the case." Sofia said. "I thought at first that maybe the blankets were just scratching her, but I remember when my brother was teething. Everything of his was always soaked in spit, and his face was a deep red from a rash. It made him look so angry all the time!"

Arthur laughed, and Whitney let out a series of gurgled _Ah_'s as she tried to imitate him. "I'm sorry Whitney put up such a fuss. Didn't my mate tell you that she was teething?"

"If he mentioned it, I must not have been listening." Sofia replied, looking slightly worried, and Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sofia took her job as caretaker seriously and remembered every little detail about every child. If she hadn't known about Whitney, it was because Alfred had failed to tell her when he dropped their daughter off. "It seems pretty obvious what was wrong with her now. I should've given her a cold rag to suck on instead of bothering you."

The green-eyed omega shook his head. "You weren't sure what was happening, so I appreciate that you called me down. But would you mind if I hang around until the bell rings? The period is almost over, and I'd rather be drooled on than try to comprehend calc."

Sofia smiled warmly, tilting her head just the slightest bit. "Of course."

As the female omega walked off to tend to the other children, Arthur became aware of vibrations from within his pocket. He fished out his mobile and glanced at the screen.

'_Everything ok with Whit?'_

Arthur was slightly surprised it had taken Alfred so long to message him. He pondered over his mate's schedule and realized Alfred was in his digital media class, taught by the one teacher in the school who, ironically, upheld the school's "No Cell Phone" policy.

'_She's fine. Her rash was probably bothering her, but I think she just missed me.'_

'_K good. I was five secs away from storming out of the room.'_

'_Careful, your alpha is showing. Hide your phone before it gets taken away again. But one more thing. Did you tell Sofia and Natalya about Whitney's rash like I asked?'_

A sudden procrastination on Alfred's part, and then, '…_about that.'_

Arthur clucked his tongue, earlier suspicions confirmed. "Your father is an idiot."

Whitney continued to happily slurp on her fingers.

* * *

_A.N._ Btw, feel free to review or PM me with anything you'd want me to incorporate into these snippet thingies. Head-canons, prompts, it don't matter! Kinda want everyone to have as much fun with this as I am. Which is a lot. My boys. Such joy they give me.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: _After this, I'm going to break the timeline a bit and go back to when Arthur found out he was pregnant, since most of the things you guys want to see would most likely take place around that time. So, if there's anything else someone wants to suggest that would take place around then, speak now (or at least soon) or forever hold your peace!

Thanks for the support though, guys. You're all such lovely people. May the UsUk gods smile down upon you always.

* * *

Arthur watched with horribly concealed interest as Alfred dropped his trousers down to his ankles and stepped out of them. "This is the worst idea you've ever had."

"What about that one time I convinced you to ding-dong-ditch the Zwingli house with me and Gil?"

"Okay, this is the _second_ worst idea you've ever had. And here's to many more." The omega pressed a curled fist to his mouth, fighting back a smile as his mate continued to strip. "Look, can we go back inside? If you're getting naked, I want to be near a stable surface."

The dock beneath them swayed with the flow of the water, proving Arthur's concerns valid, and Alfred stumbled slightly, arms extending from his sides to steady himself.

"No, we're doing this." Alfred said with conviction, and his grin was all consuming as he stood proud and tall, as bare as he'd been the day he was born. "We've lived here for almost a year and we've never gone skinny dipping. As your alpha, I take full responsibility for that."

"It takes two to tango." Arthur said, shooting a longing glance at their house where the lights were still on, breaking through the dark. "I can't say I'm all that upset about keeping my naked body private, honestly."

"I don't see why 'cause you're fucking hot." All right, so Alfred was more drunk than Arthur had initially thought. There was no way Alfred would even entertain the idea of anyone seeing what he'd marked as his if he were in his right mind. "If you're worried, don't be. It's, like, two in the morning. No one's awake and it's too dark to see."

"It's the middle of March, Alfred! Imagine how cold the water must be!"

"Bedroom." Alfred said, as if that explained everything that was going on in his head. Arthur stared at him expectantly. "I put all the heaters in there and they've been going for about an hour. The heating pads you use when you get cramps and stuff are in the bed, too. We can run straight there as soon as we're done."

Arthur hesitated. He'd had maybe one or two drinks – probably more, but the important thing was that he was nowhere near as pissed as his mate – so he was all too aware of just how awful an idea this was. The possibility of getting sick was entirely too high, and what kind of omega would Arthur be if he let his alpha do something so ridiculously stupid?

The fact that Whitney wasn't around made things a little easier, for Arthur wouldn't even be considering this if she were. Their daughter was with Arthur's parents until tomorrow, as Arthur had instructed when Alfred suggested they have a date night. Granted, the omega had never imagined this, but at least Alfred wasn't boring.

A splash disrupted the peaceful night air, and Arthur glanced up to where Alfred had previously been standing, finding nothing. He took a few steps forward, watching the ripples in the water illuminated by the moonlight, hoping Alfred wasn't too drunk to swim.

Alfred resurfaced a second later with a hacking cough that sent Arthur rolling. "It's fucking freezing!" Alfred sputtered, pushing his bangs out of his face. "And the water tastes like shit."

"What did you expect?" Arthur laughed, moving forward to stand at the edge of the dock. "Oh, god, this is so irresponsible."

"Live a little! Matt and I used to do this all the time."

"Conservative little Matthew agreed to skinny dip?"

"Well." Confusion was evident in Alfred's voice. "No. I meant the swimming part. This is just the same, but… naked."

Arthur rolled his eyes, reaching for the hem of his shirt. "Remind me to tell Scott to never give you alcohol again."

"Strip!" Alfred boomed, continuing to tread water while Arthur kicked his clothes into the pile Alfred had already created with his own. "And hurry up, would ya? I'm freezing my – "

Arthur was underwater before Alfred could finish his sentence. The frigidity of the water almost had the omega sucking in a startled breath, but he kept his mouth firmly shut as he kicked to the surface.

"I take it back." Arthur said after spitting a steady stream of lake water into Alfred's laughing face. "This is even worse than pissing off Basch Zwingli."

"Agreed." Alfred admitted, and Arthur could actually hear the other man's teeth chattering. He waded over to Alfred, nude and not entirely okay with it for some reason, but he wrapped his arms and legs around the alpha anyway in an attempt to share whatever body heat he had left, trusting Alfred to keep them afloat. "Remember the last time we swam in this lake?"

Arthur nodded. He'd been content with not knowing how to swim until he'd met Alfred, who insisted on teaching him for whatever reason. That was back when they'd first met, when things between them were so overwhelming and new that it was hard to be together for extended periods of time. Their parents even had to chaperone them to make sure nothing happened between them prematurely.

It was safe to say that the person Arthur was back then never would have imagined that a few years down the road, the two of them would be back in that same lake under completely different circumstances.

Despite the cold, Arthur didn't really feel like moving as he and Alfred bobbed in the water together. The alpha was silent after hours of drunken babbling, so Arthur was content to focus on the small waves lapping at his back until they were replaced with something hard and sturdy, one of the pillars that held up the dock.

Arthur was opening his mouth to ask Alfred what he was doing when the alpha pushed forward, pressing his lips to Arthur's. The omega was decidedly confused but didn't bother fighting it, ignoring the possibility of splinters as he returned his alpha's insistent kisses.

Everything about Alfred, even his hair, was cold to the touch, but somehow his tongue still managed to be hot and heavy against Arthur's. Before, breathing had made Arthur's throat and lungs constrict painfully, and he was overcome by a desire to breathe Alfred in, to steal the air straight from the alpha's lungs because he just knew it wouldn't hurt him.

Arthur didn't bother stifling his moan, drunk and exhausted and therefore unable to properly handle being so in love with this man.

Alfred pulled away first, breathing heavily through his nose as he dropped his head down against Arthur's shoulder. The omega tipped his head back against the pillar, gripping at Alfred's broad shoulders with as much strength as he could muster.

"You taste like cheap beer." Arthur said into the air, allowing his eyes to slide shut. He no longer felt cold, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was because his body had gone numb.

"And you taste like the lake." Alfred replied sullenly, as if it was the worst thing to ever happen to him. "Ugh, everything's off. You don't smell right either."

"That could be the alcohol clouding your senses. Or," Arthur opened his eyes, staring up at the half-moon above them, "it could be because your scent just washed off of me."

Something akin to a growl rumbled out of Alfred's throat, and although Arthur's skin was tingling with flashes so cold they was almost hot, he could've sworn he felt the scrape of canines against his collarbone. "We can't have that." Arthur almost smiled, but Alfred killed it when he went on to say, "You think we could have sex like this?"

"Absolutely not!" Arthur exclaimed, pushing Alfred away lest he get any more ideas. How quickly a mood could change between the two of them was almost comical. "There's lube and warmth inside, are you bloody insane?"

"But – "

"_No_, water is not acceptable lubricant."

Alfred huffed, following after Arthur as the omega started to swim toward the ladder. "How do you do that?"

"Read your mind? Please." Arthur gripped at the sides of the ladder, glancing at Alfred over his shoulder. "I'm your mate, I know exactly how you think, even when you're drunk."

"'Kay, fine." Alfred conceded. "It was a dumb idea anyway. Imagine if we'd gotten stuck that way though, like if we froze with my dick still in you. What a way to go."

Arthur picked up his clothes and watched Alfred heft himself up onto the dock, seriously contemplating pushing him back in just for that comment alone. "I hope I remember this in the morning so I can hold it against you for the rest of your life, Alfred. I really do."

Alfred shrugged, bending over to pick up his own clothes. "Eh. If anyone knows my embarrassing secrets, it should be you or Matt. Just don't tell Whit."

Arthur grimaced, because the idea had of course never occurred to him. He would _never _mention his and Alfred's escapades to her without an extremely good reason – and probably not even then. They'd done things that would probably even make Alfred's mother cry, never mind their poor omega daughter.

"Race you to the house!" Alfred suddenly shouted close to Arthur's ear, and the omega was too startled to react as his mate took off.

He watched as Alfred slipped and almost fell in his mad dash for their porch. What would it look like if one of their neighbors were to wake up, look out their window, and see the two of them completely naked and running around in the dark?

It would certainly make the next neighborhood potluck an awkward affair, but Arthur decided he didn't really care and ran after Alfred.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: _I've had some interesting experiences with the Hetalia fandom lately, so I took a break for the sake of my sanity. Anyway, I'm back. Sorry for the wait. Back to domestic dorks!

* * *

Having lived under the fierce supervision of his mother all his life, Arthur had been caught in plenty of compromising situations before. He was an unmated omega. He was an adolescent male experiencing the wonders and peculiarities of puberty. He had _needs. _

His mother didn't seem to understand that a closed door was a sign to be cautious, and that when one knocked, the actual purpose of it was to _wait _for a confirmation to open it. It was exhausting and took a good deal of adapting to get used to, but the good thing about his mum being so overprotective was that she kept his brothers away from him as much as she could.

But she wasn't available, locked up in her wing of the house with Arthur's father, lost in the throes of passion. Usually she wanted Arthur close by during her heats, but the young omega wasn't about to let his mum see him like this when she was at her most vulnerable.

His older brothers' constant pestering was just a small price he had to pay.

"How long are you gonna sit there?"

Arthur squared his jaw. Just because he was curled up on the tiled floor like an injured animal didn't mean he was going to act like one. "Go away, Bryce."

"No, but seriously." Bryce was the closest to Arthur in age, and one would think that he and Arthur got along more than any of the boys in their brood; but Bryce was by far the most obnoxious of the bunch. "I have to take a leak."

"Then use one of the other bathrooms in this bloody mansion of a house!" Arthur snapped, gripping the edges of the toilet tightly as he glared at his older brother. "You're out of luck if you think I'm moving any time soon."

The beta standing in the doorway rolled his eyes, a dark shade of blue he'd inherited from their father, but didn't budge. "What's the matter? Did you eat your own cooking?"

"Don't be a brat." The omega allowed himself to relax when he heard Chris's voice. If his own mother wasn't available, then his father's first mate was the next best thing. "Leave your brother alone."

Arthur smirked, as triumphant as he could be while kneeling in front of a toilet filled with his own vomit, and Bryce's expression was sour as he backed away, muttering an apology before making his escape.

Chris appeared in the doorway, hands on his hips and a slight scowl on his face as he glared in the direction his youngest son had taken. His auburn hair was slightly damp, and Arthur could smell his shampoo from where he sat on the floor, which only made his stomach lurch in protest.

"Are you feeling okay, Arthur?" The older omega asked in a worried tone as Arthur started heaving again. "You've been in here for over an hour."

Arthur didn't know how the man knew that, but he didn't bother questioning it. Chris was weirdly intuitive and had been for as long as Arthur could remember. Nothing happened in the house without him knowing about it.

"I think something at dinner last night didn't agree with me." Arthur groaned, reaching up to flush the toilet when his sinuses started to burn. "I woke up feeling nauseous."

"Strange. Meatloaf hasn't upset your stomach like this before."

"There's a first time for everything." Arthur replied sullenly, tired beyond belief as his father's mate padded into the bathroom, possibly to inspect him further. "I'm fine, though. Really."

Chris didn't say a word, but he crouched down beside Arthur, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It's been a month since your heat, right?"

Arthur snapped his mouth shut so forcefully he heard his teeth click, eyebrows furrowing as he searched the other omega's eyes. Hardly anyone had mentioned his heat to him or the fact that he hadn't been alone during it. His family knew about Alfred of course, but because his mum didn't trust the alpha fully just yet, no one dared mention him around the house.

He wasn't sure what had her so worried. He and Alfred were a pair bond, and things just _worked _between them. Arthur cared for Alfred ridiculously, and he didn't have to wonder about his boyfriend's – _mate, _they were mates now, weren't they? – own feelings.

Thinking about his heat was enough to make Arthur's insides ache. He'd waited for what felt like forever, and Alfred hadn't disappointed him in the slightest. Thankfully the walls in the bedrooms were soundproof; otherwise Bryce would've tormented Arthur for the rest of his life.

"Yes." Arthur murmured, pushing his bangs, damp with sweat, off his forehead restlessly. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Chris gave him a deadpan look. "Come on now, I thought you were a smart kid?"

"I'm smart enough to know that you're suggesting I may be pregnant." Arthur retorted, still slightly irritable from his brief confrontation with his brother. "Which is ridiculous. You know I have poor egg quality, and my mother tried for _years_ before she had me. I've accepted that I'm not going to conceive the first time around."

"Fertility problems aren't usually genetic. A lack of suitable eggs doesn't mean anything either when you get down to it. If you want my opinion, I think you got lucky here, kiddo."

Arthur stared at Chris, at his slow building grin and warm hazel eyes, and felt realization crash into him like Alfred was wont to do after a long separation. Even he had noticed that things were changing a little over a week ago, but he'd been so utterly convinced that he wasn't going to conceive after just one heat that he pushed any thoughts of being pregnant from his mind.

Chris was always right about everything, and Arthur had noticed that his father had been looking at him strangely. As an alpha, he'd probably smelled it on Arthur, and the young omega had to wonder why he hadn't said anything.

But Chris was saying something now, and Arthur didn't know what to do. His mum was going to have a fit, because pregnancy meant children and children meant that Arthur would be leaving soon enough to start a family all his own with…

"I think you should call Alfred." Chris said encouragingly.

Arthur stuck his head in the toilet bowl and heaved.

* * *

He messaged Alfred to meet him at the park and didn't bother to wait for a reply before leaving the house. Even if the alpha was busy, Arthur needed fresh air if he was going to properly sort out his thoughts.

Considering the cold, there were few people wandering around the park, and Arthur was alone for the most part. He chose a picnic table and climbed on top of it, sitting down and leaning back on his palms with a large sigh. He wanted to gather his thoughts before Alfred came, if he did at all, but his mind was completely blank.

It wasn't as if he was worried about how Alfred would react. During Arthur's heat, they'd talked about the future while waiting for Alfred's knot to subside, and there wasn't much Arthur was still uncertain about. The alpha wanted children, and Arthur found himself wanting to satisfy that desire, but was it the right time?

They'd resigned themselves to the fact that nothing was going to happen right away. Alfred hadn't been too discouraged, and he'd even said that he wouldn't mind if it was just the two of them for ten years; but by a stroke of luck, ten years had quickly become nine months, and Arthur felt like he was suffering from whiplash.

"Arthur!"

The omega flinched slightly, too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice Alfred walking up the path toward him. He pushed himself forward slightly, bringing his hands around to his lap and brushing the dirt from the picnic table off on his jeans.

"No, don't get up!" Alfred exclaimed when Arthur started to move. "You look comfortable."

"As comfortable as I can be at a park in the middle of November." Arthur replied, watching as Alfred hefted himself up to sit beside him on the picnic table. Before he settled completely, he shifted over to place a brief kiss on Arthur's cheek. "Were you busy?"

"Nah, not really. My mom wanted help cleaning out the attic, so your text saved me."

"I said that you didn't have to come if the timing was inconvenient."

"You also said you had something important to tell me." Alfred said pointedly, stretching his legs out on the bench beneath the table. Arthur noted that the shoelaces on his sneakers were tied twice. Alfred left his belongings all over his house, so when his father cleaned, he double knotted his son's shoelaces for whatever reason. Alfred always redid the laces – _Double knots are for kids, Artie_ – and if he'd forgotten, it was because he left the house in a hurry. "So, what's up?"

"Well." Arthur said, reaching up to tug off his scarf so nothing would impair Alfred's ability to hear him speak. "I'm pregnant."

Alfred's body jerked a little, and Arthur was momentarily annoyed by his own inability to broach a subject gently.

"How'd you find out?" Alfred inquired after a moment, and there was an odd quality to his voice. Arthur just couldn't figure it out.

"I spent most of my morning hunched over a toilet bowl." The alpha made a slight noise of sympathy. "Chris found me and said I'd most likely conceived during my heat. I took a pregnancy test just to be sure, and it was positive. So, it's… kind of official now."

"That's so crazy." Alfred breathed, and they both turned their heads to look at one another simultaneously. "I guess I didn't notice at school because I don't really know what a newly pregnant omega smells like. Matt was born when I was five, so I barely remember how my dad smelled."

Arthur nodded, though his thoughts were elsewhere. Alfred wasn't really reacting much, and the omega wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not. He might have been trying to be strong for Arthur's benefit, but Alfred wasn't much for coddling and hadn't been for as long as Arthur had known him.

He couldn't tell if Alfred was pleased by the news, and it unsettled him.

"Are you scared?" Alfred abruptly asked, suddenly concerned as he reached out to place his hand over one of Arthur's.

"A little." Arthur replied. There was no use lying about it. Alfred would sense the deception anyway. They'd been close before Arthur's heat, but the level of intimacy that was now between them, even if they were just sitting together and talking, was so much stronger than anything either of them had imagined. "Are _you _scared?"

"A lot." Alfred admitted, and Arthur glanced at him sharply. So much for his suspicion that Alfred was being calm for Arthur's benefit. "I feel like throwing up now, too."

"I didn't expect any of this so soon." Arthur said, lifting his gaze to the overcast sky while Alfred rubbed his thumb over the top of Arthur's hand. "I'd hoped this wouldn't happen until after we graduated."

"The timing could be a bit better. It'll be difficult since we don't live together, but I bet we can change that before the baby comes."

The alpha's voice was soft, as if he was too consumed by his own thoughts to worry much about what he was saying or how it came across to Arthur. Living together sounded perfect, better than perfect, but finding out he was pregnant and then discussing the prospect of leaving home was just too much for one morning.

His stomach was twisting with anxiety or maybe even fear, and Arthur hoped the feeling wouldn't be commonplace throughout his pregnancy. Too much stress and he was sure to lose the baby, just as his mother had with her previous pregnancies.

"What if – " Arthur hesitated, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "What if we're not ready? What happens if we mess up?"

"I think the both of us know from experience that first-time parents make mistakes sometimes." The two of them exchanged a rueful smile before Alfred went on. "Are you really that nervous? I don't think I've seen you worrying about messing up before."

"Well, this is a person we're talking about, not some mathematics test. If I do something wrong, it really matters." Arthur was mostly afraid that he would turn into his mother and be a micromanaging parent. He would like to think he wouldn't hover as she did, but in the face of uncertainty, he tended to stick with what he knew.

"I'll be there to help, though." Alfred said firmly, and Arthur almost smiled. As if there had been any doubt in his mind. "If you do fuck up, I'll pick up the pieces. But I'm pretty sure it'll be the other way around."

Arthur scoffed, licking his lips and pulling his scarf back up to his mouth when a chilled wind bore down on them. "Oh, please. You've had practice with Matthew. I'm the baby of my own family."

"True. But I also treated Matt pretty bad." Arthur frowned slightly, turning his hand over so he could entwine his fingers with Alfred's. "I don't want to fall into that again."

"I won't let you." The omega assured his mate. "But I don't think it will come to that. If a toddler with my eyes and your nose comes running to you for something, you won't be able to say no. And omega or not, you won't treat them any differently. You aren't your mum."

"And you're not yours." Alfred countered, and Arthur had to wonder if that had been Alfred's point from the beginning. "We don't have to figure anything out right now, but I think things will be okay. It'll be an adventure. You like those."

"That I do." Arthur laughed, noticing that the tension in his stomach had dissipated somewhat. He was far from being at ease with the whole situation and probably wouldn't be until he held his baby in his arms, but Alfred's careful optimism did reassure him somewhat. At least he didn't have to go through this alone. "God, why did I want to have this discussion outside? It's freezing."

"Beats me." Alfred grunted, releasing Arthur's hand so he could maneuver himself off the table. "Wanna come back to my place? We can tell my parents and Matt the good news."

Arthur was careful to keep his discontent at having to see his mate's mother so early in the day from showing on his face. He didn't necessarily hate Caroline Jones, but she wasn't his favorite person. There was just something about the way she talked to him when Alfred wasn't paying attention, as if he were a child that needed guidance, and Arthur tried to limit his interactions with the woman.

"I'll stay for an hour or so." Arthur said, getting to his feet. "After that I'm going to go home, take a bath, and sleep for the rest of the day."

"I'm jealous. I get to clean the attic and then mow the grass. _Best _Saturday I've had in a long time."

"You could always come home with me, you know. Your mum won't try to keep you if she thinks you're taking care of me, and mine isn't capable of chasing you out of our house."

A part of Arthur hoped Alfred would take him up on his purposefully off-handed offer. He knew he could tell the alpha anything, and he would have to get used to not keeping secrets if they were going to start their life together within a year; but for the sake of his own pride, Arthur couldn't say that he found it hard to sleep alone now that he knew what it was like to have Alfred close at hand even after the sun went down.

Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night in a daze, feeling almost naked without the heat of his mate at his back. Arthur had gotten used to it during his heat and found it difficult to go back to his regular routine as a result. The conditions were favorable, and Arthur was willing to do almost anything to get Alfred back into his bed.

"I just might." Alfred replied coolly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat. He was obviously trying not to seem too eager, but Arthur wasn't fooled. "Anyway, let's get out of here. Where'd you park?"

Arthur hunched his shoulders against the cold, falling into step beside Alfred as the alpha started walking back the way he'd come, toward the parking lot. "Oh, I didn't drive here."

"You didn't? But you hate walking places."

"I only live two blocks away. I didn't see the point in wasting gas." Arthur huffed, ignoring Alfred's giggles. "I'll have to take up walking anyway if I want to lose whatever baby weight I gain. _Ugh_, what a nuisance that will be."

Alfred was strangely quiet, and Arthur glanced over to find that his mate's eyes were slightly glassy. "Are you okay, Alfred?"

The alpha blinked, and while he continued staring straight ahead, the half of his facial features that Arthur could see contorted into something desperate, like there was something Alfred was trying to hold back. "We're gonna have a baby."

Arthur didn't say anything, only breathed out through his nose in a short puff and ducked his head to stare at the cracks in the concrete below them, trying and failing to keep from smiling.


End file.
